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Topic: The other side
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I stumbled across this article on Gay.com . It's scary but it shows how fiendish and well organized the christian right is . Too bad GLBT groups are so poorly organized . The lesson here is don't underestimate the christian right .
The BattleCrying game
Paul Mooney
Thousands of young people came to San Francisco on March 24 and 25 for BattleCry, a national campaign to rally right-wing teens to the banner of the culture war -- literally. Under the symbol of a red flag, they gathered at AT&T Park for two days of Christian rock, multimedia sermons and heavy doses of war rhetoric.
"Are you ready for a battle? Are you ready to go to battle? The enemy has declared war on you guys!"
With those words, pastor Ron Luce kicked off an event that critics charge promotes racism, sexism, homophobia and militant fascism to America's youth.
For an organization that rails against violence in movies and video games, BattleCry's own speech and graphics evoke a disturbing image of armed conflict. They talk of war, of revolution, of a generation under attack by sex, drugs and Hollywood, and of building God's army. Fortunately for America, God's army is still in training bras and braces.
It's easy to dismiss their warmongering as mere metaphor. The right has been hyping the culture war for decades. However, groups like Theocracy Watch, which monitor the radical religious right, have been watching for warning signs in case the movement ever begins to take its own hype as literally as it does the Bible. Some, like Eric Rudolph, already have.
Fortunately, no one was passing out the ammo -- or the Kool-Aid -- at the main event Friday night. The kids seemed like typical teenagers, equally interested in each other as what was happening on stage. Most of them were white, with a fair amount of Asians and Latinos, but very few African Americans. Although many were visibly moved by Luce's preaching, the crowd came to life the most during the musical acts. And I have to admit, the performances didn't completely suck.
It's confession time. I'm no longer a teen. In fact, I'm even past the age where I could play one on TV. But if I'm any judge, it seems like the religious right is getting better at marketing to the youth audience by wrapping its message in pop culture. They've figured out how to speak to kids -- in their own language, with podcasts. Goodbye "Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul"; hello www.battlecry.com.
BattleCry takes advantage of the fact that war is "cool." This way, when kids are faced with other cool things -- sex, alcohol, drugs, porn, violent video games, etc. -- they can say no without feeling like complete dorks. BattleCry is not providing an alternative to pop culture so much as its own version of it.
By choosing war as its brand image, BattleCry simply replaces one group of vices with another. War is a powerful stimulant. It incites our fear and anger. It creates a climate of group-think and an us-vs.-them mentality that is alien to the "love your enemy" philosophy of Christ. Jesus didn't have much to say about sex and drugs, but he had a lot to say about love.
For all its talk, BattleCry doesn't seem to be addressing the real violence I remember from my own youth. In school, then as now, most of the beatings were handed out by the jocks. (Could you imagine if BattleCry tried to outlaw football, instead of video games?!) The big guys always pick on the little guys, especially if there's anything different about you -- such as being gay. The handful of video-gamers who have gone postal did so only after finally breaking under the pressure of school bullying.
It is a central part of all fundamentalist movements to see themselves as victims, even when they behave like bullies. The more rapidly society changes, the more they feel threatened -- and driven to strike back.
The BattleCry Web site says: "Today's teens are being attacked by popular culture like no other generation. . . . In order to defeat our enemy, we must know how it thinks and understand the weapons it uses."
To carry out its battle plan, BattleCry has planned rallies for cities all over the country. The goal is to build a cohesive network of fundamentalist church youth groups. What it plans to do with all these kids is unclear, although leadership training and evangelizing seem to be a big part of it.
I went to the BattleCry rally feeling concerned, but with an open mind. I left feeling scared. BattleCry has close ties to Promise Keepers and other Christian Reconstructionist groups that openly advocate turning America into a theocracy. This could be their way of mentally grooming teens to accept the idea of war. Or it could all fizzle out in a few months. Judging from the empty seats Friday night, less than half of the estimated 25,000 kids showed up.
Whether this is just the Lollapalooza of the religious right or the beginning of a militant fascist youth movement remains a mystery.
Let's have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That we've seen the back
Of another black day
M.L Gore
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Post: #57134  , Thu 30 Mar 06, 6:55AM |
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That just makes me sad. People are idiots. It doesn't suprise me that such an organization would be gaining strength. It's funny how many Chrisitans seem to ignore the "Love thy neighbour as thyself" commandment. Which Jesus himself said was THE biggie. *sigh* Oh well. We can only hope that no matter how strong that side gets, we remain stronger.
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Post: #57135 , Thu 30 Mar 06, 7:03AM |
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Imagine that instead of Christians those guys were Muslims, they would be called terrorists and probably shut down in the least extreme case! Frankly I think that's what these Christians are, Terrorists, they're against freedome and democracy and equal rights! Unlike what I regard as True Christians who are more about the faith than the politics.
I am the egg man, you are the egg men, I AM THE WALRUS GOO GOO GA JOOB
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Post: #57144 , Thu 30 Mar 06, 3:02PM |
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OMG
we r sooo dead, unless of course someone feels like offing the pope and saving us sometime to think of a real plan................................
The proud to be! Originaly me! Mauri C.
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Post: #57153 , Thu 30 Mar 06, 3:56PM |
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:: Jeichek
:: QA4 A spot of tea please, Alfred! | |
Offing the pope wouldn't help. There would simply pop up another one, and the more you off them the more they pop up.
The only way things will ever change is when more people realise how dangerous fundamentalist religion is.
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Edit: Jeichek, Thu 30 Mar 06, 4:42PM
Post: #57159 , Thu 30 Mar 06, 4:20PM |
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Yeah offing religious leaders won't make a difference at all and I wouldn't condone murder anyway .
And to be fair it doesn't look like this organization has anything to do with the catholic church , it seems to me this organization is based on made up ideals that are alot more extreme fascist based than those of the catholic church .
What we would have to do is strengthen our GLBT groups , organize ourselves better and try to gain some political influence .
Let's have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That we've seen the back
Of another black day
M.L Gore
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Post: #57180 , Thu 30 Mar 06, 10:41PM |
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I'll be the first to note that middle America isn't stupid enough to follow something like that. Not to say that middle America isn't stupid, but not THAT stupid. 
The mere impulse of appetite is slavery, while obedience to the law we prescribe to ourselves is liberty. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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Post: #57184 , Thu 30 Mar 06, 10:51PM |
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I don't know, Brett. History has shown us that manipulating people into a certain way of thinking is really not so difficult. No matter how "smart" the population seems. I'm not saying that this movement will come close to anything like the Nazis or whatever else, and this group doesn't really worry me all that much, but i think it's important not to overestimate the strength of the general population. Effective propaganda is really fairly easy.
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Post: #57201 , Fri 31 Mar 06, 3:37AM |
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Many people have learned from the past. Just sometimes not all of the past (hence people like George Bush.) 
The mere impulse of appetite is slavery, while obedience to the law we prescribe to ourselves is liberty. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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Post: #57205 , Fri 31 Mar 06, 4:17AM |
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Well it seems people who would attend a gathering such as this are already people who'll believe anything .
Let's have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That we've seen the back
Of another black day
M.L Gore
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Post: #57212 , Fri 31 Mar 06, 5:50AM |
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I agree with Shadowman on this topic, any one who would willingly attend such an event are obviously ready to accept anything. I say if Battlecry wants war, we'll give 'em war, I'd like to see them try to stop people from being gay, outlawing Grand Theft Auto, and tearing people away from their computers when they are watching a porn flick, we will give them a fight, regardless of whether we want one, or not!
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Post: #57237 , Fri 31 Mar 06, 6:33PM |
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Well it's unlikely that groups like this one will ever achieve much of what they want to achieve but frankly I'm suprised US citizens are allright with the relatively high level of censorship in their lifes that they already have .
Things like this are usually introduced very slowly so that most people don't even notice and usually under the guise of "the common good" . It's like when you have to climb into a very hot bath you think it's too hot and you don't but if you sit in a cold bath and it's slowly heated up to that high temperature it won't be as noticeable .
I'm not saying any of this will ever happen , I doubt it but one should still always remain vigilant .
Let's have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That we've seen the back
Of another black day
M.L Gore
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Edit: Shadowman82, Sat 1 Apr 06, 5:30AM
Post: #57261 , Sat 1 Apr 06, 5:27AM |
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wait, have you guys ever noticed that the last time they got all reallied like this all of europe and some of africa was ravenged..i think it was called the crusades.....*shivers*
The proud to be! Originaly me! Mauri C.
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Post: #57328 , Sun 2 Apr 06, 8:42AM |
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The crusades happend in a time when the church had more or less absolute power , that's no longer the case in the west .
Let's have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That we've seen the back
Of another black day
M.L Gore
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Post: #57353 , Sun 2 Apr 06, 10:04PM |
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I was going to write an email to them but aside from "Get a life" I really have nothing to say.
Life is not merely comprised of tasks but tastes.
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Post: #57360 , Sun 2 Apr 06, 11:07PM |
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Nice thought but I don't think you can talk in normal terms with insane people like that .
Let's have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight
To celebrate the fact
That we've seen the back
Of another black day
M.L Gore
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Post: #57363 , Mon 3 Apr 06, 4:04AM |
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